MeshCore App: Messaging and Contacts

Sending Messages

Public Channel Messages

Messages sent to the "Public" channel are received by all nodes on the network that share your channel key. For the standard community network using the USA/Canada preset, all nodes on the public channel will see your message.

Public messages are encrypted with the shared channel key - they are not readable by general LoRa observers, but any node with the correct key can decrypt them.

Direct Messages

Tap a specific contact in the Contacts tab to open a direct message thread. Direct messages use ECDH key exchange - only you and the recipient can read them. Requirements:

• The recipient must have been discovered by your node (appeared in Contacts at some point)
• Their public encryption key must be cached in your node's contact database
• Your message will be routed via whatever path is available to reach them

Message Delivery Confirmation

MeshCore provides delivery status for direct messages:

• Sending - Message has been transmitted locally
• Delivered - The destination node has acknowledged receipt
• Failed - No acknowledgment received within timeout. The node may be offline or out of route.

Public channel messages do not provide individual delivery confirmations (they're broadcast, not unicast).

Contact Management

Contacts Discovered Automatically

Contacts appear automatically when their advertisements reach your node. You don't need to "add" contacts manually - the mesh is self-discovering.

Contact Information

Tap any contact to see:

• Full node details: name, hardware type, firmware version
• Signal information: last RSSI and SNR readings
• Location: GPS coordinates and bearing/distance from your position
• Battery level (if the node reports it)
• Direct Message button to start an encrypted conversation

Contact Expiry

Contacts that haven't been heard from in an extended period are marked as "stale" or may be removed from the active contacts list. They reappear when a new advertisement is received from that node.

Message History and Store-and-Forward

When connected to a room server, you can request message history - public channel messages sent while you were offline. Tap the "Request History" option in the Public channel conversation. The room server will replay stored messages to your node.

Direct messages sent while you were offline may be stored if your network operator has enabled store-and-forward on your network.